Lasallian mission is alive at St. Joe's

by ROBERT T. SCOTT, AFSC

Tue, Sep 8th 2015 08:00 am

President, St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute

If you've ever spent one day at St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, you have begun to experience the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle - the patron saint of all teachers and a true educational innovator who transformed Western education more than 300 years ago.

But to experience the mission of St. La Salle, you must spend a day in a Lasallian school. St. La Salle's fundamental mission was to make the means of salvation - in this world and the next - available to all children. To accomplish this, he established a group of consecrated laymen who provided poor students with a human and Christian education that they simply could have never afforded otherwise.

Today, the Brothers of the Christian Schools and their Lasallian partners teach more than 1 million students in 80 countries. But to find the Lasallian mission of educating the whole student and instilling Gospel values, you need look no further than 845 Kenmore Ave.

We are St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute: a school that welcomes young boys from every background, from every neighborhood, from every race and religion, then wins their hearts and shapes their minds, ultimately producing the 190 fine young men who graduated this spring.

From Canisius College to Yale University, the class of 2015 is heading to the best colleges and universities across the United States. At St. Joe's, we achieve outstanding academic outcomes for each individual student - the 100 percent college acceptance rate and the $33 million in academic awards earned by the class of 2015 clearly demonstrate that.

But our Lasallian education is so much more. We produce gentlemen of integrity, young men of character imbued with values nurtured at St. Joe's, who will become the leaders of tomorrow. In the tradition of St. La Salle, we foster a brotherhood among our young men that lasts a lifetime. And, with the generous support of our alumni and benefactors, we do all this while ensuring through financial aid, scholarships and work-study, that a St. Joe's education is accessible to all young men - regardless of their family's financial circumstances.

If you have not experienced the Lasallian mission present in our community of excellence, we welcome everyone to attend our open house on Sunday, Sept. 27, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Monday, Sept. 28, from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

The legacy and mission of St. La Salle is alive across the globe and in the halls at St. Joe's. I invite you and your family to spend a day with us and experience this worldwide network committed to an exemplary holistic education and the salvation of each individual student.